Lebanon has stepped up efforts to secure the extradition of Russian national Igor Grechushkin, owner of the ship RHOSUS that carried the ammonium nitrate linked to the 2020 Beirut port explosion, dispatching Judge Mirna Kallas of the Public Prosecution Office at the Court of Cassation to Bulgaria to provide formal assurances that he will not face the death penalty if returned to Lebanon.

Judicial sources told Al-Modon that Kallas made her second trip to Bulgaria in two weeks to deliver the official guarantee, a condition stipulated under the bilateral extradition agreement between Lebanon and Bulgaria. Bulgarian authorities had expressed concern that Grechushkin could face capital punishment upon his return, prompting Lebanese officials to issue a binding written commitment that he would instead be interrogated under the supervision of Judge Tarek Bitar, the lead investigator in the port explosion case.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar has personally overseen the negotiations and funded efforts to accelerate the extradition. Bulgarian authorities reportedly gave Lebanon a 40-day deadline to secure Grechushkin’s extradition before he would be released or deported to Russia. To expedite the process, Kallas delivered the documents in person, avoiding slower traditional diplomatic channels.

The extradition deadline expires on October 15, and sources indicate that negotiations are moving positively.